The risk for falls among newly admitted, short-stay nursing home residents is tied to certified nursing assistant staffing levels, new research has determined.

After analyzing MDS assessments of more 230,000 newly admitted nursing home residents in 2006, investigators found that 21% of new residents experienced a fall within 30 days of being admitted. Facilities that had higher CNA-to-resident ratios also had fewer falls, according to the data.

Investigators, from Brown University and the University of Southern California, said new residents are susceptible to falls partially because they are unfamiliar to staff who may not have conducted fall-risk assessments. The study is one of the first to analyze fall risk by separating out new nursing home residents.

About 60,000 elderly or disabled Medicaid recipients in Louisiana are being told they should expect to lose their benefits in July, and advocates say more than a quarter of them could be forced out of the long-term care facilities they call home.